Northern Flickers

Northern Flickers are common birds that you can often hear pounding on loud objects like a downspout of a satellite dish. I have had them wake me up at 4 Am thinking my house was being attacked by machine gun fire. I believe they do this to attract a mate, defend their territory, or for maybe for communication. I recall hearing a Flicker pounding on my downspout, a few seconds later, I heard a faint response of a similar rapid pounding sound far in the…